Harry Potter and the Half Blood Princess
by Evey Vendetta
Summary: Discontinued Set in Harry's 6th year. Old faces return, new adventures and one big mystery. Is Harry the only Potter who survived? Is there anyone who doesn't hate Snape? And who will be the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher? AU
1. Chapter One: The Truth

A/N- This is my first Harry Potter fic. Those of you who already read the first three chapters, will need to read it again because I changed some major details. Also, I'd like to thank Geanie for being my awesome beta reader and helping me making this fic a grammar mistake-free. Other than Tolkien and Rowling you're my writing idol :)

Reviews- I'll be more than glad to get ones. Flames are also accepted, as a writer should know how to accept criticism in order to improve his/her writing. Just try to be nice.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything you recognize here, but all the rest belongs to me. Please don't sue me...

**Chapter One: The Truth**

Ann Parker was a normal, ordinary girl. Normal of course, as far as a young British witch in the wizardry world could be. But something about her wasn't quite ordinary. Something of which you could only see if your gaze lingered on her more than three seconds, though it was by no means certain you would see it even then. The problem was, no one bothered to look at her. It was Ann's biggest problem, but a problem she had to deal with ever since she got her Hogwarts letter. Her aunt and uncle, Emma and Owen Parker, whom she had been living with as long as she could remember, made her promise them one thing. She still remembered their worried faces as they talked to her.

It was a bright Monday morning when she woken up. Ann stretched out and went to look through the window, lost in her own thoughts. It was yet another sunny, peaceful day in Warrington.

Her aunt's voice brought her back to reality. 'Ann, are you up yet? Get down quickly, breakfast's getting cold!'

Soon enough, she was down in the kitchen, greeted with a warm "good morning" and a smile. Uncle Owen was reading the newspaper as usual, and Aunt Emma was just about to serve breakfast. 'I thought you said breakfast was getting cold,' she asked. 'Well _someone_ needs to hurry you up, otherwise you would stay in bed all day. Now, would you please go get the mail? I'm a bit busy at the moment as you can see.'

'Yeah sure, no problem,' she replied.

Ann went to the doorstep, to pick up the letters. 'Bill, bill…another bill…' she muttered to herself. She knew all the letters are probably boring, as nothing special ever happens in the godforsaken hole she'd like to call home. But that day, she was wrong. 'What's this?' she asked herself rather surprised, looking at a letter addressed to her. There was no stamp, and the writing on it was in green ink. When she turned it to the other side, she saw a seal carrying a symbol of a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake, all surrounded by a big H. She suddenly remembered the other letters and hurried back to the kitchen, unfolding her own. 'What do you have there? Another bill? God, those bloody companies know nothing better than take all your money away…' Uncle Owen started his complains. 'Don't they have enough for themselves already?' he sighed.

'Actually, it's a letter for me. I was just about to open it. Do you have any idea who wrote it?'

'A letter? For you? Can I…Can I see it?'

Ann gave the letter to her uncle. Before he even opened it, he had a worried look on his face. She, from the other hand, didn't understand what could possibly be wrong, and got even more curious than she already was. As if just to make sure, Uncle Owen opened the letter and began to read. Soon enough, he put it down with a heavy sigh. 'Emma,' he called, 'I think you better see this.'

'See what?' her head popped out of the laundry room. Ann had never realised how someone can be as fast as her aunt, doing all that exhausting housework.

'Just come and see,' He said in a somewhat serious tone. Realising something had probably gone wrong, Aunt Emma hurried back to the kitchen, and the first thing that caught her eye was the unfolded letter. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if she was letting the full meaning of it sink into her mind. After what seemed to Ann like forever, her aunt finally spoke again. 'I think it's about time to tell her the truth.'

Uncle Owen nodded. 'Ann, I think you better sit down. Your aunt and I have something important to tell you.'

'Alright,' she said, and sat down on one of the chairs.

'Well?' she asked, after none of them said a word.

'I suppose we should start with your parents,' her uncle said eventually.

Ann couldn't be more surprised if her uncle told her he was an escaping serial killer. If there was one thing her aunt and uncle had never talked about, it was her parents. The only thing that she was told about them, was that they were both lawyers, and died in a car crash. Every time she tried to ask a question about them, they would either change the subject or ignore it. Ann figured it was too painful for them to talk about, and gave up her hope of getting answers a long time ago.

'My parents?'

'Yes,.' her uncle replied. 'I believe everything we have to tell you start with your parents. You see, your aunt's brother and his wife weren't like any other people. They weren't…ordinary.'

'What do you mean 'ordinary'? What were they?' she asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

'They were…'

'Wizards,' her aunt interrupted. It seemed like it wasn't something which was easy for her to say.

'Wizards?' Ann asked, more surprised and amazed than she already was, if possible. 'Yes, wizards. They were capable of doing magic, and they passed the same capability to you, Ann. You are a witch,' Aunt Emma said.

'What? A witch? But that's…impossible! There must be some kind of mistake! My mum and dad…You told me they were lawyers! Was that a lie?' she asked, furious and confused, almost yelling.

'Calm down for a moment, you need to hear our side of the story before you judge us. The night your parents died we took you to our house and raised you. We never told you the truth about your parents because it was too dangerous. In fact, it's still dangerous, but you need to know more about your heritage, especially now when you're about to go to the best school of witchcraft and wizardry. This letter you got, is from Hogwarts. You will study there for the next seven years.'

It was all too shocking and weird for her to take. 'Wait a minute…Dangerous? What's so dangerous about letting me know?' she asked.

'It is dangerous, because…In the time when you were born, there was a bad wizard. You need to understand this first, Ann- not all wizards are good, and this wizard was the most evil and powerful in our century. His name was Voldemort. Most wizards are afraid to say his name, but I'm what they call a muggle. Therefore, I'm not afraid to say it."

'What's a muggle?' asked Ann.

'A muggle is a person with no magic powers.' Her uncle replied. 'Now,' he continued, 'Your parents took part in the fight against Voldemort, and he didn't know about your existence. About a year later, he was defeated. Some said he died, some said he's still out there. In fact, no one knows for sure where he is. That's why we didn't tell you anything. Voldemort wanted to kill every good wizard, and we were afraid he'd come after you. Now that you know the truth, we need you to promise us something,' he said, taking his niece's hand.

'Promise you what?' she asked.

'We want you to promise us that no matter what, you will stay away from people. I know it's not fair, but your life is constantly in danger. As long as nobody knows who you are, you're safe. So please, as painful as it sounds, don't make any friends and don't talk to people you don't know. That might be the only thing that can save your life. We don't want to lose you, you know that,' he said with concern in his eyes.

A single tear dropped from Ann's eye as she realised it was all true. She would have to sacrifice a lot in order to stay alive. She wouldn't disappoint her aunt and uncle.

'I promise,' she said.

Five years have passed since then, and Ann was sitting in her room, thinking about her next year at Hogwarts. _Why would my sixth year be different?_ she asked herself. After all, she had no friends and absolutely no one to talk to. Even the teachers seemed to forget her existence. Even Professor Snape didn't find an excuse taking off points from her house, which was a miracle due to the fact she was a Gryffindor. But even that didn't make her happy. She was alive, yes, but what kind of life did she have without someone to talk to, someone she could trust, someone who would be her friend?

Ann Parker was going to have a lonely life, and she knew it.


	2. Chapter Two: The Rescue

Disclaimer: Do you really think I'd be here if I owned Snape? Certainly not! I mean, think of all the things I could do instead

**Chpter Two: The Rescue**

It was another quiet afternoon in Privet Drive. The sun was strong and bright, just as it was on many July days. No evidence was for the existence of a dark haired boy with a very thin scar that was shaped like a bolt of lightning who lived there.

Harry Potter sat on his bed, his chin resting on his knees. He's been like that for nearly five hours, and if someone entered his room, they would've thought he was one of Dudley's broken toys. Nearly two months have passed since Harry saw his godfather falling through the magical arch and disappearing behind the veil in the Department of Mysteries, and he couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened if he didn't insist on being the hero he always was. Although Dumbledore had told him it wasn't his fault, Harry knew that Sirius could've still been alive. That thought kept his mind busy for most of the time, and though he wouldn't admit it, a part of him wanted to forget all this had ever happened and look forward to his sixth year at Hogwarts.

The Dursleys of course, had no idea about what happened that made Harry feel so sad and alone. They assumed his friends had abandoned him, just like he deserved. After all, in their opinion, he was just as weird as his parents were. Dudley had often tried to bully him, in the very few times Harry had actually gone down to the kitchen in order to eat. 'Hey scar head, got any messages from your freaky friends?'

'Leave me alone,' Harry replied, but Dudley didn't seem to stop bothering him.

'Or what?' he asked in a belittled tone.

'Or I'll turn you into a flying pig,' he said calmly, and drew out his wand like a sword. 'Abra kadabra…' he started to say, but never got a chance to finish the fake spell since Dudley began running to his mum, yelling and screaming. A few seconds later, Uncle Vernon showed up in front of Harry, his face was purple like it always was when he saw him.

'Put it away! Now!' he pointed at Harry's wand. 'Didn't I tell you not to get out of your room? And don't dare to threat Dudley! His birthday will be perfect, and I won't let you ruin this day. Now go to your room, I need to lock it before we go out. Who knows what can happen to the house…'

Once more Harry had managed to forget Dudley's birthday. That morning the Dursleys haven't done anything special for Dudley, which seemed a bit suspicious to him.

'Where are you going?' he asked.

Uncle Vernon eyed Harry for a second, determined to find a reason for his sudden interest.

Finally, he said proudly, 'We're going to the finest restaurant in London of course, where Dudley will have a big Surprise! _You_, on the other hand, will stay in your room, so you won't have a chance to blow up the house!'

'But I won't…' Harry began to say, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to listen.

'Upstairs, now!' and with that he went back to his room as he was told.

Not wanting to sink in thoughts, he decided read about quidditch again. He took out _Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland_ (which Hermione gave him as a Christmas present in his fourth year) and began reading. Although Harry wasn't completely concentrating in the book, it was a good distraction and that was exactly what he needed. After a while he heard Uncle Vernon locking his door, which took a while since there were a few heavy locks, but he chose to ignore it. What difference would it make if he tried to convince him he wouldn't do anything? His uncle had never listened to him before, and there was no reason for him to do so now. At this thought, Harry sighed and kept reading.

Almost two hours have passed since the Dursleys left. Harry, who couldn't read anymore was lying in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, when suddenly he heard footsteps. Those footsteps were followed by low, quiet whispers. Were the Dursleys back yet? And why were they whispering? Not wanting to be unprepared, Harry drew out his wand, ready to hex whoever was in front of his locked door. The mystery was finally solved after the door has been unlocked and in the doorstep stood none other than the same wizards and witches who came last summer: Mad-Eye Moody, Nympahdora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones. Only one person was missing.

Harry, not believing his eyes, accidentally dropped his wand.

'Professor Moody? What are you all doing here?' he asked.

'Don't you ever drop your wand like that, boy, you might want to keep it in one piece,' said Moody in his low, growling voice.

'Oh leave him alone, Mad-Eye. What would you do if someone surprised you in your own house?' asked Tonks in a reproving tone.

Harry, in the meantime, picked up his wand and made sure it was alright.

'Hi Harry" Said Tonks again.

'Umm…Hi Tonks. Don't want to sound rude or something, but…what exactly are you doing here?'

'Rescuing you of course,' she replied.

'Rescuing me? Are we going to…' he lowered his voice, 'Grimmauld Place?' he asked. 'Shhh! You're not supposed to talk about it here!' said Moody.

'Sorry," Harry replied, staring at his feet. 'So,' he continued, 'How are we going to get there? On brooms?'

'No,' said Moody, 'We're going on the Knight Bus.'

'And we better hurry up,' interfered Tonks, 'We're not supposed to be late.'

Harry couldn't be happier. He was just about to leave the Dursleys for another year, another magical year in the best school of witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts.

'Well? What are you waiting for, boy? Pack your things and let's get going,' said Moody. But Harry didn't move. Something or someone seemed to be missing when he looked at all those wizards and witches who came to take him away, and soon, he found out what, or who, for that matter, it was.

'Where's professor Lupin?' he asked.

'Remus…has a few matters to take of',' replied Moody.

'Don't worry Harry,' said Tonks, who in the meantime changed her hair colour ten times at least, this time from lemon green to dark brown, 'You'll see what he was talking about,' she said with a mysterious smile.

Confused a little, Harry started to pack his things. But before he even got the chance to do so, Tonks had done it for him, and this time, it was all organized.

'I managed to learn how to do it right after a while,' she said.

He picked up his broom, and a second later he realisd he had forgotten something. 'What about Hedwig? She had gone out last night and hasn't retuned yet. I'm not leaving without her,' He said.

'You have a smart bird Harry,' said Dedalus Diggle, grinning, 'She's already waiting for you there.'

As if it was the last thing he needed to hear, Harry went downstairs, followed by the rest.

He was finally free again.


	3. Chapter Three The Beginning of a New Yea...

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah..I don't own anything except Ann or maybe some other characters my crazy mind will decide to make up. Things would get better if I had Snape...sigh

**Chapter Three: The Beginning of a New Year**

The Hogwarts Express was about to leave in two minutes. Ann was lucky to get there in time. Her trunk was already on the train and so was Ash, her white-grayish snowy owl.

'Take care of yourself Ann, and don't forget to write us as soon as you get there!' yelled her uncle just before the train left.

'Don't worry, I will!' she yelled through the window. After seeing her aunt and uncle disappear in the distance she decided to pass the rest of the time reading _The Daily Prophet. _She turned a few pages, and then she saw it:

_AZKABAN PRISONERS WERE SET LOOSE_

_The dementors of Azkaban prison had officially betrayed the Ministry of Magic, and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's forces. The news came after numerous rumours, which were finally confirmed by the Ministry of Magic's spokesman. The dementors freed about thirty prisoners, Lucius Malfoy among them. The Minister of Magic…_

Ann didn't want to keep reading the article. She knew the dementors' betrayal meant only one thing- Voldemort was gathering all his forces.

Her uncle's words of concern echoed in her mind. _Why would Voldemort go after me? All those years I had to keep my promise… There must be a reason behind his words…_

She was too concentrated in thought she didn't notice the three Hogwarts students who were standing in front of her.

'Excuse me, can we sit here? Everywhere else is full.'

Ann couldn't believe her eyes. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the famous trio, were asking to sit with her.

'Yes of course,' she answered politely.

'Thanks,' said Harry with a smile, and sat next to Ron in the empty seat. Hermione, on the other hand, sat next to Ann.

'Do I know you? You seem a bit familiar to me…' she said.

'I'm Ann. Ann Parker. A sixth year Gryffindor, just like you three,' she replied, a bit irritated that no one really knew her. Even though she didn't have any friends, she wasn't invisible.

'Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that I don't see you that much so I didn't really remember,' Hermione said. Ann only nodded, and looked through the window.

'Can I borrow this?' came a voice from the opposite seat. Ann looked up.

The voice, just as she thought, was Harry's. He was pointing at her _Daily Prophet_ copy.

'Sure. I don't want to keep reading it anyway,' she replied.

'Harry, can I read the Quidditch news?' asked Ron impatiently, almost snatching the newspaper from Harry's hands. Harry only shook his head.

'Not now Ron, I'll give you that later.'

Seconds later Harry, ashen faced, mumbled 'Oh no…'

'What is it?' asked Hermione, a questioning look on her face. Harry laid the newspaper on his lap with a sigh.

'The dementors had joined Voldemort. They freed about thirty prisoners, and Lucius Malfoy was one of them,' he said.

'What?' asked Ron in disbelief, 'Draco's father? And I thought we got rid of him…'

'It was only a question of time until the dementors would betray the Ministry of Magic,' said Hermione. 'Voldemort has much more to offer them. Besides, Ron, you should know better than panic. Remember- as long as Dumbledore is around, we're safe.'

'She's got a point, Ron. I don't think Voldemort will try to attack Hogwarts,' Harry said, and kept reading the article.

All that time Ann kept staring at Harry. She would never admit it, but she was a bit jealous of him. Both his and her life were in danger, but instead of hiding all the time and being alone like she was, Harry had fought Voldemort several times, and he also had friends. Why couldn't she do the same? _If only I didn't promise…_

Harry, Ron and Hermione kept talking among themselves through the rest of the ride, but Ann didn't say a thing. The last word she heard from Harry was a quick "thanks" when they got off the train and he returned her _Daily Prophet_ copy.

She got into one of the carriages, where a few Hufflepuff students already sat. When they finally got to the Great Hall, she sat in the farthest corner of the Gryffindor table, the one which was close to the teachers table. The trio, on the other hand, sat in the middle of the table, as always.

'Hi Harry, how are you?' asked Neville.

'I'm fine, how about you? Had a nice summer?' said Harry, a bit distracted.

'Yeah, it was quite alright,' replied Neville, but Harry didn't seem to be listening.

He was looking at the teachers table, trying to spot the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but all he saw was an empty seat.

'Does anyone have an idea who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?' he asked.

'The seat is empty. Maybe Snape had finally got the job?' said Ron.

'Don't be ridiculous, if Dumbledore didn't give Snape the job all these years, why would he change his mind?' asked Hermione, in her know-it-all tone.

'Do you have a better idea? Let's hear it then,' answered Ron, a bit annoyed. He didn't like people proving him he was wrong, especially if it was Hermione.

'Would you two shut up? The sorting ceremony is about to begin.' said Harry.

Right that moment, Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall, leading a group of first years. She put the Sorting Hat on the stool, and a few seconds later, it began to sing:

_A few centuries ago,_

_When Hogwarts had just started_

_The four founders of our school_

_Had set themselves a target:_

_To make this place the best magic school_

_The world has ever seen,_

_And so it was, and still today,_

_Their will still firm and keen._

_Bravery, intelligence,_

_Kindness and the will to success_

_Each house has its own quality_

_And together they're the best._

_The bold- to Gryffindor, who appreciated courage,_

_The smart- to Ravenclaw, who searched for wisdom,_

_Hard workers and kind- to Hufflepuff, who couldn't ask for more,_

_Ambitious to Slytherin- we'll show them through this door._

_Each house is bound to another,_

_Their destiny is the same_

_If you make the same mistake again,_

_History will repeat itself._

_Once again I warn you_

_For darkness might cover the light,_

_In these times, you must all unite._

_But now, let the sorting begin,_

_Just put me on and I'll tell you which house you're in!_

There was a brief silence and then the Great Hall rang with applause.

'It's the second time the Sorting Hat had warned us,' said Harry, a bit worried.

No one knew what to say.

They watched the sorting quietly. After "Watson, Emily" was sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore rose from his seat to say a few words.

'I welcome you all to another year at Hogwarts,' he said. 'Before the feast, I have a few announcements to make. First, I'd like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, asked me to inform you that the full list of objects that aren't allowed to be used is in his office.'

'Now,' he continued, 'As for the new Defence Against the Dark arts teacher-' but Dumbledore had never gotten the chance to finish his sentence, because just then, the Great Hall's doors were opened. Behind them stood none other than Lupin. Everyone was staring at him. Whispers such as "It couldn't be" and "Is he back?" could be heard across the hall.

Dumbledore looked at him. 'Ah, Remus, just in time. I was about to introduce you to the students.' He said.

Then, he turned to look at the surprised faces.

'I'm glad to announce that Professor R. J. Lupin had kindly agreed to take the Defence Against the Dark Arts position again.'

As he finished speaking, each and every single student clapped his hands loudly.

'I can't believe Lupin is back!' said Hermione, clapping along with everyone else.

'Yeah,' agreed Harry, 'He was the best teacher we've ever had.'

Followed by loud applause and smiling, Lupin had taken the empty seat next to Snape, who only glared at him and turned to look at the students again.

'And now,' said Dumbledore again, 'Let the feast begin.'

Since they were hungry, none of the three said a word through the entire feast.

Only after they reached the Gryffindor common room, Hermione spoke.

'Harry, did you do well in your O.W.Ls? You did get the results, didn't you?' she asked.

'Yeah, I got them along with the N.E.W.Ts form about two weeks after the end of the year. I'm still surprised I got an Outstanding in Potions,' he said with a grin.

'You did?' asked Ron. 'That's great! Are the results here?'

'Hang on a second I'll go get them,' replied Harry, and a few minutes after he went up to the boys dormitories, he came back, his O.W.Ls results in his hand.

He handed them to Ron, who read them aloud, along with some remarks of his own.

'Charms- Outstanding, that's a nice one Harry…

Transfiguration- Exceeds Expectations

Herbology- Acceptable, I think Neville did quite well…

Defence Against the Dark Arts- Outstanding, I knew you'd do it mate!

Potions- Outstanding, I only got 'Exceeds Expectations'…

Care of Magical Creatures- Exceeds Expectations

Astronomy- Acceptable

Divination- Poor, I got 'Dreadful'…

History of Magic- Acceptable.'

'That's really great Harry!' said Hermione, 'Which N.E.W.T classes did you choose?'

'Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures,' he replied. 'I need at least five N.E.W.Ts for the Auror training and I didn't want to take too many classes at once,' he added.

'How are your O.W.Ls results, Ron?' asked Hermione.

'Pretty much like Harry's, only I got 'Poor' in Astronomy and 'Dreadful' in Divination…' he answered.

Harry yawned. The warm fireplace started to affect him, and he became tired.

'I think I better go to bed, I'm really tired and I don't want to fall asleep in any of the classes tomorrow,' he said.

'OK mate, good night,' said Ron.

'Good night Harry,' said Hermione.

'Night,' Harry replied, and went up to the boys dormitories, hoping this year won't be difficult as the fifth was.


	4. Chapter Four: Invisible

AN- Sorry it took me so much time to update, I was busy with school and had no inspiration for a long time (math is like a dementor- it sucks all life out of you>>my invention!)  
Anyway, reviews would be very much appreciated as always :)

Desclaimer: Yes, I do own Harry Potter, Ron ,Hermione and most important- Snape. I let Rowling use my story because I didn't wanna get rich.  
Note- The author is a chronic liar.

On with the story!

**Chapter Four: Invisible**

For the first time in a long while, Harry woke up from a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Though it was still early in the morning, he was eager to start the new term. Looking at Ron, who was still asleep, Harry got up and went towards the window. The grounds were shining in the sun, though the Forbidden Forest looked as dark as always. Harry kept looking outside, enjoying his first morning at Hogwarts.

'What are you doing up there so early?' said a sleepy voice behind him. It was Ron, sitting on his bed, stretching.

'Nothing, just looking outside,' Harry replied and paused for a second, thinking. 'I missed Quidditch, you know, can't wait for the tryouts,' he added.

'Yeah,' said Ron, 'I wonder who will replace Fred and George now that they're out of school.'

'Ginny said she was going to try, remember?' asked Harry.

'Oh yeah,' replied Ron, 'I suppose she's OK, isn't she?' he asked.

'I think she's good. Could be a great beater,' Harry answered.

Hermione was already sitting in the Gryffindor table when they arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast. A group of forth year Ravenclaws passed by, whispering and pointing at them. Harry, who got used to this kind of behaviour around him, barely paid them any attention and sat next to Hermione, who was handing them the new time table.

'What took you two so long? Especially you, Ron. You were supposed to be here earlier to help me hand out the time table! You're lucky I asked Professor McGonagall for two more copies,' she said in one long breath.

Ron was looking at Hermione, surprised that she managed to say so much in such a little time, then looked at his time table with his eyes wide open. Harry, on the other hand, was already busy with his breakfast.

'Lucky?' exclaimed Ron, grabbing a piece of toast in his hand, 'Did you take a look at this? We have double Potions, double Transfiguration, History of Magic and it's all today!' he paused for a moment, glancing at the time table again.

'Double Potions? Now? Oh great…' Harry said with a sigh, drinking the rest of the pumpkin juice which was left in his glass.

'The rest of the week doesn't look promising either,' said Ron, 'At least we have double Defence Against the Dark Arts tomorrow,' he added.

'That's something to look forward to, isn't it?' said Hermione thoughtfully. She was eager to find out what they would study this year.

'You're right, Lupin has the most interesting lessons,' Harry said, glancing at his watch. 'We better go to the dungeons now, we got only ten minutes left,' he added.

As the three of them got to the dungeons, they saw Ann standing there, her bright green eyes fixed upon the door, as if she couldn't wait for the lesson to begin. Harry, Ron and Hermione found it strange since not a single Gryffindor liked Potions.

Harry decided it would only be polite to start a conversation after their meeting on the train rather than ignore her.

'Hi Ann,' he said.

She obviously didn't notice their presence before (being used to people's ignorance) and turned around with a little jump.

'Oh, it's just you,' she said, 'I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. I was just-'

'Well, well, look who we got here' came a cold voice behind Hermione.

Malfoy was standing there, along with Crabb and Goyle at each side, standing like bodyguards.

'What do you want?' said Ron with raising anger.

'I will tell you since you asked me so nicely,' he answered, fleshing a vicious smile, 'I was thinking of starting a Potter fan club, since so many people seem to have an odd…' he paused for a moment, trying to find the right word, '_Interest_ in you, Potter. People like the stupid Creevys, that fat Longbottom and…who are you?' he said, looking at Ann.

'Leave her out of this, Malfoy,' said Harry. Malfoy looked back to check if anyone (and especially Snape) was coming, only to see Pansy Parkinson going in their direction, a group of Slytherin girls behind her.

'Is that your new girlfriend, Potter?' he said aloud, so everyone could hear it.

Pansy came closer to take a better look at Ann, then (addressing Harry) said, 'I see your taste hasn't changed much, though it did get better since that Weasley.'

'Yeah,' agreed Malfoy, '_Anything_ is better than a poor Weasley,' he added, and the group of Slytherins laughed.

If it wasn't for Harry and Hermione who were holding him, Ron, whose face was red with anger, would've probably redesigned Malfoy's face.

'You don't want to do that. What if Snape sees you?' said Hermione.

'What's the matter Potter?' asked Malfoy, 'Loss for words? Or you just don't know how to stand up for your poor friend because I simply said the truth?' he added, trying to provoke him.

Given the chance, Malfoy would've continued with his insults, but he simply fell silent when a shadow came upon Harry, Ron and Hermione.

'Any problems, Mr. Malfoy?' said a voice behind the trio.

They turned around and saw Snape looming over them, his black eyes fixed upon Harry in a threatening manner.

'No sir, Potter and his friends were just on their way in,' he replied and then turned to look at Harry, 'Weren't you, Potter?' he said.

'All of you go inside, _now_. That also includes you, Mr. Malfoy,' said Snape. He waited until they were inside the classroom, closed the door behind him and stood in front of the class.

Ann was the first to come in- she went silently, almost unnoticed and sat at the back of the class, hidden in the shadows. Second to come were Harry, Ron and Hermione, who found themselves a seat in the middle of the class. Malfoy was the last to come inside- he took a seat next to Pansy, who came in earlier along with Crabb, Goyle and the group of Slytherin girls.

At that moment, Snape began what the students called "the beginning of the year speech". They were silent, as they didn't want to get a detention on their first day.

'As you are no doubt well aware, this is a most important year at Hogwarts, a year which will begin to determine your future careers,' he paused and smirked at Malfoy. 'I cannot underline strongly enough the importance of the study of Potions now. Some of you,' he paused again and looked at Harry, 'Are here due to what I believe to be an unfortunate mistake, but let me assure you, this mistake will soon be corrected. This class contains the best. Anyone who is found incapable of brewing a simple potion or following the plainest instructions (he was now looking at Ron) will have to find themselves another N.E.W.T class. I will most certainly not be tolerating neither indolence nor stupidity.'

As he spoke, Ann was listening attentively. For some reason, she admired her professor. Whether it was his choice of words or his attitude, she did not know. But something about him made him interesting to her, and over the past five years she has been trying to solve the mystery that was Snape.

Obviously, she did not think he was a great person. Some things about him annoyed her, things like insulting Harry for example. Somehow, she always got angered whenever he did it, although when she thought about it, she didn't have a reason to.

Once again the usual routine of Potions class and in fact, of every lesson started. Snape had magically written the instructions for their first potion this year using his wand, and began walking through the rows, throwing sarcastic remarks and criticising Gryffindor students. When he got to see Ann's potion, he did what he always did- pass by silently, then go back to his desk on the front and write down notes about each student. Ann always hoped he would say something, since her potions were only second to Hermione's, if not equally good. She had her loneliness to thank to for that, since the lack of a real social life had cleared off most of her schedule, leaving her with plenty of time to study. That's why she was good at Potions- she wasn't a natural as Snape was, but she guessed she was good enough to be in his N.E.W.T class if she got an Outstanding in her O.W.L exam.

As the end of the lesson drew near, Ann looked around her to see how the rest of the class did. The blinding potion she brewed which was supposed to be dark purple, was blue in some cauldrons, and taking a quick glance at Ron's she noticed it was completely black. By the look on his face she could see he felt completely helpless and she wished she could help him.

Meanwhile, Snape finished writing his notes.

'Come here with a sample of the potion unless you would like to get your first zero. However, I have the feeling that some of you will get a zero anyway,' he said maliciously, looking in Harry and Ron's direction.

Ann was the first to come with her sample. She placed it on his desk, hoping that maybe this time he would say something, but he didn't even look at her. Only when she realised she was just standing there doing nothing, she went back to her seat, packed her things and headed outside the dungeons.

Harry, in the meantime, was watching her while bringing his own sample along with Ron. The colour of it was a little lighter than it should've been, but at least it was purple.

'Ron, don't you find her a bit odd?' he asked his friend, thinking he would understand who he was talking about.

'Who's odd?' replied Ron, a confused look on his face.

'Ann. She looks a bit familiar, don't you think?' asked Harry while packing his things.

'Oh yeah, Ann…She does look a bit familiar. I wonder why she's alone all the time, she seems like a nice person to me,' said Ron.

'She's nice,' agreed Harry, 'I really can't think of a reason why she doesn't hang around with anyone,' he added.

'I don't think it's our business. Who knows, maybe there's something we wouldn't want to find out…' replied Ron, 'Anyway, I think we better go now if we don't want to be late for Transfiguration,' he added and the two of them headed towards the door, where Hermione was waiting for them.

Harry's first week at Hogwarts as a sixth year student was more or less the same- classes, homework and weird encounters with Ann in between. He couldn't help but wonder why she always spoke so little and tried to avoid everyone, for he was very curious about her. One of the main reasons was that she reminded him of someone, like he had seen her before, only in an old picture. Of course, he knew this wasn't possible. No one could've taken an old picture of someone his age.

Harry decided to let it go, having a strange feeling that eventually- sooner or later, he would find out who she really is.


End file.
